Fiber optic cables transmit signals along bundled optical fibers using light signals to relay information at extraordinary speeds with little attenuation. Fiber optic cables span long distances, of course, and must be connected to repeaters for transmission quality. The cables also connect to peripheral networking equipment and to other fiber optic cables for proper communication signal transmission.
The art of fiber optic communications is replete with different kinds of fiber optic cable connectors for numerous environments and specialized applications. Connector systems are already designed to resist extreme harsh mechanical and environmental conditions, including high vibration, mechanical and thermal shock, and fluid immersion. Also, these cables must continue to operate under extreme tension loading.
One key to providing efficient connections between different fiber optic cables is a user-friendly interface. This is particularly true when system integrators must select from different kinds of equipment with varying channel counts and diverse receptacle configurations, all of which are designed to address particular issues within a certain panel or enclosure routing fiber optics within a larger network.
With so many different kinds of connectors available to system installation professionals, it is difficult to ensure that a proper fiber optic cable intersects the appropriate mate with a convenient connector. Installers may damage equipment or significantly delay system operation by improperly mating optical fibers that are not intended to intersect.
A problem exists in the field of fiber optic cables in that installers must often visually inspect fiber connectors to determine which mating pairs should adjoin. Such visual determinations lead to errors and mismatched optical fiber connections. There is a need in the field of fiber optic communications for a connector that is mechanically structured to allow only appropriately mating optical fibers to connect.